Hearing loss Board decisions

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection due to the evidence being in equipoise.,Other issues related to hearing loss, psychiatric disorders, hip and knee disabilities, foot disabilities, seizure disorder, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, kidney disability, eye disability, and hepatitis are remanded for further development.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims of service connection for a back condition, bilateral knee condition, bilateral hearing loss, and sleep disturbances.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they are related to service, but further development is needed to verify his periods of active duty, ACDUTRA, and INACDUTRA.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new evidence received, but it is denied as there is no current diagnosis of a hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection has been decided. The rating for dry skin syndrome - dermatoheliosis and actinic keratosis remains at 10 percent, while the issues of service connection for cervical strain (neck disability), traumatic brain injury, headache, left TMJ, right ear otalgia, hearing loss, and tinnitus have all been addressed.

The Board has remanded the claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to outstanding private treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran's conditions are related to noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining a new medical opinion regarding the Veteran's cervical spine disability with degenerative arthritis. The initial compensable rating claim for bilateral hearing loss remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, but he was granted a staged initial disability rating of 70 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder prior to June 28, 2023. The Veteran's TMJ dysfunction and bilateral hearing loss are each rated at 20 percent. The skin disorder affecting the feet and hands is not service connected.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment prior to February 24, 2017.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development, including consideration of newly-obtained service records and medical opinions. The appellant's current hearing loss disability does not meet VA criteria for a hearing loss disability. For other conditions, the Board finds that there is no evidence to support their onset in service or relationship to service.

The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for a low back condition is denied.,The claims for service connection for left shoulder, right shoulder, and left ankle conditions are remanded.,The claim for service connection for acid reflux (GERD) is remanded.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,A 30 percent rating for chronic motion sickness is granted.,Service connection for a heart disability is denied.,Service connection for varicose veins is denied.,Service connection for bilateral flat feet and bilateral upper calf neuropathy are precluded due to lack of service-connected conditions.,The Veteran's claim for sleep apnea, lumbar spine disorder, and other issues is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to October 21, 2022. The Board has found that the evidence is in at least approximate balance and any remaining reasonable doubt is resolved in favor of the Veteran. TDIU is granted prior to October 21, 2022.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the right knee disability was dismissed as a matter of law due to the finality of the September 1989 rating decision.,The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied without assigning an earlier effective date because no communication prior to October 6, 2017 can be interpreted as an informal petition to reopen or service connection claim.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his right knee disability was denied.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable evaluation of chronic allergic rhinitis has been withdrawn. An initial 30 percent evaluation is granted for recurrent headaches.,Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and the Veteran's claim for seborrheic dermatitis (claimed as skin condition) and hemorrhoids are both remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether current hearing loss relates to service. The Veteran's lay statements and medical opinions support a link between his noise exposure during service and his current hearing loss.

The appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is dismissed.,Service connection for hypertension is granted, based on the PACT Act presumption of association with herbicide exposure. The effective date is August 10, 2022.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to errors in fulfilling its duty to assist. The claims are being remanded so that a new VA examiner can reassess the Veteran's claims, taking into consideration contradictory evidence submitted by the Veteran and his lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms.

The Veteran died due to anoxic brain injury, and the Board has decided to remand the case for further investigation into whether his service-connected disabilities could have contributed to his death.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to deficiencies in the VA examination, including lack of consideration of lay statements about symptom progression. The AOJ is instructed to obtain additional medical opinions addressing these concerns.